Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-17
STORY OF LINCOLN.

STORY OF LINCOLN.
TOLD BY Ex-REPREsENTkTNE BRAN
DEGEE, OF CONNECTICUT.
A Gun Makers Claims-An Interview
With the President-Lincoln's Personal
Appearance-A Persuasive Executive
Doeument-AdmiralD ahlgren.
I first saw Mr.. Lincoln in tho summer of
1853 had been elected In the spring of that
year to the Thirty eighth congress, and visit
ed Washington some time in June to look up
quarters for the coming December session.
The corridors Of Wizards hotel were crowded
with officers on leave, Office seekers, con-
tractors and jobbers-the swarm which al
ways gathers around the hive of the treasury.
The most conspicuous figure, and one Of the
most remarkable ever saw, was Horatio
Ames, an iron founder Of Falls Village, Conn,
brother of Cakes Ames he claimed
to have invented q process Of forg-
ing wrought iron cannon of heavy calibre,
by subjecting the molten metal to the
impact of two immense trip hammers, which
with characteristic grim humor he had named
respectively sThorn and "Odin." Ames
complained that though his guns had been
subjected to unfair tests by Dahlgrcn, who
was then chief of the ordnance bureau, and
though it had withstood all attempts to burst
it-while the Dahlgren guns had burst like
glass bOttles-yet he could neither get re-
port in his favor nor an authentic record of
the experiments. Ames soon discovered that
was one of the newly elected Connecticut
members, and insisted that in the absence of
his own immediate representative it was my
duty to present his appeal to President Lin
coin. / did not banker after the job" to
use one of the expressive phrases of Mr.. Lin
coin. But Ames was not the man to stand
Epon etiquette and l finally yielded to his
Importantly, on condition that an interview
should be arranged with Mr. Lincoln's ap-
rroval.
Every one knows the general appearance Of
Mr.. Lincoln. That he was tall, swarthy,
awkward and unconventional in dress and
manner are the broad outlines of any con-
ception of him. But no one who has not
stood face to face with the man can ever
rea lie a lifelike idea of the great original. As
he rose-and seemed to keep on rising-before
me, his hair was black, coarse and of an un-
kempt appearance, his nose prominent, his
cheek bones high, his cheeks very hollow. his
complexion swarthy, his manner gracious
but subdued, while his eyes had an expression
that fina myself incapable of describing, as
though they lay in ambush in their deep cav
ems, ready to spring forth or retreat further.
within. as occasion required. He was awk-
ward, but it was the awkwardness of nature,
which is akin to grace. The expression of
his face was earnest, with shade of sadness,
and his voice was soft and at times as tender
as wOman's.
had prepared what 1 thought q neat little
speech of Introduction, but he at once put my
rhetoric and embarrassment to flight by
taking Inc by the hand and saving, "Well
what does little Connecticut wantr'
The tone, the familiar address, the friendly
manner, the gracious smile at once put me at
my ease, and l stated my case as to friend,
and almost an equal Mr.. Lincoln listened
with evident interest Ames had stated that
record existed of the various charges, the
number of frings and the respective results
to each gun, and that it would vindicate all
he claimed, but he had been denied access to
it. Mr.. Lincoln closed the interview by re-
questing me to procure it and bring it to him
at o'clock that evening And to my sug-
gestion that l was unknown at the department,
he took an executive envelope from a bundle
which lay always on his table and wrote the
following: "Let MI. -, Of Connecticut,
have a copy of such record Is he indicates.
A. Lincoln"
Armed with this concise but persuasive
executive message, we visited the navy de-
partment, where we waited in the anteroom
for more than two hours for the arrival of
Commodore Dahlgren. who was said to be
absent. Suspecting after while that Dahl
green's absence was rather conventional than
actual, we at last pushed by the janitor into
the chiefs room, where we found him calmly
writing at his desk, where he had probably
been from the commencement. NV request
for copy of the report was CURLY refused,
until I produced the envelope with the un-
sign manual of the president, caus-
ing as much CONSERVATION as though one of
Dahlgren's own guns had burst in in his own
department We got what We wanted and
took it to the president that evening accord
ing to appointment.
MIR. Lincoln sat at an Office desk, under
which his long legs protruded to an extent
which made them conspicuous At first he
had on a pair Of carpet slippers, but as the
progressed he unconsciously
his feet, disclosing what seemed to
be pair of dark yarn stockings, through
which had worked his great toe, and this he
kept in almost perpetual motion. The record
verified the claim of Mr.. Ames, and after
much discussion and searching questions Mr.. |
Lincoln took an executive enyeIore nd xrota
the following: "If Horatio Ames will make |
ten wrought iron guns after his method, |
which will answer satisfactorily such tests as |
shall order, will see that he gets paid 81 |
per pound for each gun. A. Lincoln
Thus ended my first interview. l never |
Jaw Ames afterward, but was told by Cakes |
Ames, his brother, that the guns were made, |
all tests, and that his brother re-
,eived SlOO, 600 on the strength of that envel- |
Brandegee in New York /